The two candidates for governor are holding a series of "Get out the Vote" rallies across Texas before Tuesday's election. Through the end of early voting Monday, the Texas Secretary of State says 18.76% of registered voters had participated, down from 32.43% through Halloween in 2018.
Republican Greg Abbott, running for a third term as governor, made campaign stops in Fort Worth, Amarillo and El Paso Tuesday.
"We are going to declare victory," Abbott said at the rally in Fort Worth. "We will have beaten Beto, and we will have kept Tarrant County red and the great State of Texas red."
"What stands out to me, as a Hispanic voter, is Governor Abbott represents everyone," one supporter in the crowd said.
A woman in the crowd said she supports Abbott's work at the border, saying her brother died from a fentanyl overdose.
"He just stepped off the DART train in Dallas, smoked something he thought was innocent and collapsed. It was fentanyl," she says. "[Cartels] are lacing all kinds of things they don't even know fentanyl is in."
Abbott said the Department of Public Safety has arrested more than 15,000 people wanted for felonies during "Operation Lone Star."
"Just two weeks ago, they arrested a man from Honduras who was trespassing in the State of Texas," Abbott said. "When they booked him, they learned there was a warrant out for his arrest for murder."
August 29, Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it arrested Jose Manuel Soto-Ramirez, 33. ICE says the Supreme Court of Justice in Honduras had issued an arrest warrant for Soto-Ramirez August 26 for charges of murder, theft and threats. He has since been returned to Honduras.
Democrat Beto O'Rourke has campaign stops scheduled Wednesday in Uvalde and Thursday at Sue Ellen's bar in Uptown Dallas.
Tuesday, O'Rourke's campaign said it had outraised Abbott in October. O'Rourke reported $10.5 million in donations from 237,500 donors. Abbott reported $9 million from 30,000 people.
“I’m grateful for everyone who helped raise $10.5 million in just 30 days as we support the Get Out the Vote work of our organizers and record-breaking 100,000 volunteers. We’re receiving support from those in every part of this state who are ready to turn the page on Greg Abbott’s failures and vote for change after eight years of this governor putting his extreme agenda over the people of Texas," O'Rourke wrote in a statement.
Abbott says 85% of his donations are coming from within Texas.
Through Monday, the Texas Secretary of State says 17% of registered voters had participated in Dallas and Tarrant Counties; 23% had voted in Collin and Denton Counties. Early voting continues through Friday; election day is Tuesday, November 8.
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